A music series for emerging artists and hidden gems, B-Drop Worldwide premieres its eighth showcase featuring LA-based singer/songwriter Mia Mormino & San Clemente’s Gal Musette!

Just as every country has its hidden gems waiting to be discovered, every artist has their own hidden gems waiting to be heard.

Atwood Magazine is proud to be featuring B-Drop Worldwide, an exciting new music series giving a platform to emerging artists and shining a spotlight on the A-sides, as well as the beloved (but oft-neglected) B-sides. The latest iteration of this unique melting pot of music premieres today, with a special performance from A music series for emerging artists and hidden gems, B-Drop Worldwide premieres its eighth showcase featuring LA-based singer/songwriter Mia Mormino and San Clemente’s Gal Musette!

“B-Drop Worldwide came from B-Drop TV, an online music platform supporting emerging artists doing a similar format,” founder Cindi Avnet tells Atwood Magazine. “Prior to the pandemic we were filming twice a month in a studio space, doing a few bands each time. The bands would do two songs – an A-side and a B-side, with a brief interview at the end. The last question we asked the artists would be what’s one of your all-time favorite B-side. In 2020, we decided to do continue virtually with Instagram live streams every Monday and Friday doing a similar format.”

“One day I realized I wanted to create a worldwide community that supports emerging artists everywhere. Our plan is to film every 6 to 8 weeks moving from country to country. We will have six artists total performing each time we do the session: Three from the US, and three from the country we have chosen. The format will be similar to regular B-Drop, but it will be in-person sessions. We will also try to support indie labels from other countries by supporting their bands from their respective countries. We started with the UK, and because we think that it came out so well we might spend the summer doing UK sessions just to build up momentum before we move to another country!”

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Why B-sides?

“Historically, often B-sides became more popular than the A-sides,” Avnet explains. “At B-Drop we want to encourage artists to have a chance to play one of their songs that is less well known or may have never been recorded. It’s interesting to have them do a current single as well as a B-side. From my understanding most music platforms want to just hear the current single but on our show we enjoy having the point of difference.”

B-Drop Worldwide is a showcase on a mission.

The project is now a collaboration between Avnet, Bella Elbaum, and Chris Jiannino as co-producers.

“Going forward, our vision is to bring attention to bands that may not often have opportunities and chances to thrive in this overcrowded music space we are in, Avnet says. “Our focus is to bring attention to undiscovered artists that may have not had the chance to be seen and heard otherwise. My hope is B-Drop listeners will discover new artists that they may never have heard before and add them to their playlist of artists to listen to. Also if someone is already a fan of the artist, then perhaps they will enjoy their B-side if they’ve never heard it before. The main thing for B-Drop is cultivating music discovery from new artists.”

Avnet’s favorite B-side? “God Only Knows” by The Beach Boys, from the band’s unparalleled 1966 album Pet Sounds (the A-side was “Wouldn’t It Be Nice”). Co-producer Bella Elbaum’s go-to B-side? The Beatles’ “Baby You’re A Rich Man” (the A-side was “All You Need Is Love”). Co-producer Chris Jiannino’s favorite B-side? New Order’s “Elegia” (full version) off their 1985 album, Low Life. “‘Elegia’ is just one of those truly beautiful pieces of work,” Jiannino says. “It’s cinematic, and each riff holds an epic part in the deep story of the group’s late frontman Ian Curtis.”

B-Drop Worldwide is all about expanding our musical horizons. Discover Mia Mormino and Gal Musette in the series’ latest episode, and dive deeper into both artists’ music and B-side picks below!

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B-Drop Worldwide is produced by Cindi Avnet, Bella Elbaum, and Chris Jiannino. Both performances were shot at Zula Den Los Angeles, with hosts Troy Bailey and Chris Ruckus.

Mia Mormino

Atwood Magazine: Can you share a little more about the songs you performed and what they mean to you?

Mia Mormino: Yes, I would love to! “Encore” is a very special song to me for a lot of reasons. Although an easy topic for some, writing about anything under the umbrella of intimacy is very difficult for me. My first experience with the subject was saturated with verbal abuse (lasting a year), causing a lot of shame and trauma that I’m still working through seven years later. I allowed someone else’s insecurities to severely tarnish my ideas about intimacy, my own sexuality, and my body. Although my perspective is still cloudy, it’s a lot clearer than it once was. –

I’m an open book when it comes to literally anything…besides this. It’s the most vulnerable part of me to express and something I’ve refused to open up about. Until now :). This song isn’t sad or a cry for help. It’s a celebration of the beauty and miracle that is my body. Healing sixteen-year-old Mia – in song form. Exploring my sexuality – in song form. Pushing myself wayyyyyyyy outside of my comfort zone – in song form.

Whether you’ve experienced sexual abuse or not, you deserve to reclaim your power. I hope this song encourages you to embrace all that you are and makes you feel sexy while doing so. I actually just performed “Encore” for my headlining show at The Roxy! It was such a beautiful experience sharing such a vulnerable side of myself with an audience that big.

Can you dive a little deeper into the B-side(s) you highlighted, and why that music is special to you?

Mia Mormino: To me, a B-Side represents a piece of an artist that may have been minimized or hidden altogether. I feel as though there are so many “rules”, so to speak, about what you can and can’t release, once you become a big artist. I’ve always looked at the B-Side as a way for the artist to really have more control, and show sides of them that are always appreciated but often not encouraged to share. I’m a big B-Side girl. I love a good demo piece, a random unfinished beautiful mess, etc.

What's the significance of a B-side, for you?

Mia Mormino: My all-time favorite B-Side is “Angel Down – Work Tape” by Lady Gaga. Lady Gaga has been my most cherished artist since I was nine years old, so I’ve listened to just about every Gaga album there is. “Angel Down” is off of her 2016 album, “Joanne”, and in the work tape, you can feel just how much desperation and power she holds in her vocal delivery. It’s the definition of raw, and I’ve truly never heard anyone sing as authentically as she did in that song. If you want goosebumps for an entire 2 minutes and 19 seconds, I HIGHLY recommend taking a listen.

Gal Musette

Atwood Magazine: Can you share a little more about the songs you performed and what they mean to you?

Gal Musette: “Moment” was a song I wrote one verse for 7 years ago, but at some point I lost the paper with lyrics on it and over time almost completely forgot the melody. Years later when I -experienced a significant personal loss, I was struggling to express my grief and fell into a crippling season of writer’s block. By a stroke of serendipity, the lyric reappeared on a folded piece of paper in my glove compartment which triggered a memory of the melody, and led full circle to my finishing the song and beginning to let go.

Can you dive a little deeper into the B-side(s) you highlighted, and why that music is special to you?

Gal Musette: B-sides are special because from a songwriter’s perspective they aren’t meant to be B-sides. Songs just come out and some songs take a few more listens to digest to carry the impact, but they are often worth the wait, and personally become my favorites.

What's the significance of a B-side, for you?

Gal Musette: “Braille” was the song I mentioned in the interview, a brilliant song by Regina Spektor with an incredibly empathetic lyric. Another B-side I adore is a piano piece of Nina Simone’s “Good Bait,” a song I haven’t heard many mention but I think demonstrates some of her best playing.